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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

When I'm not reading or blogging...

I've had this idea in my head for awhile (actually I was inspired by Natasha of Maw Books who regularly semi-regularly posts these types of things!) to share with you some of my interests outside of reading and blogging.

(I was just talking to Emma from ASAMUM BOOKTOPIA how much I would love it if book bloggers stepped away from the books more often and shared with us all something a little deeper, something on a more personal level. I feel like I never fell into that trap of being squarely focused on just BOOKS BOOK BOOKS because my blog started out as being more of a personal website. But either way, I urge you all to show more of your humanity in your blog posts! Really, I and I'm sure many other readers out there, would like to know.)

But first up, I think I've mentioned before that I run. I don't run in public, and it isn't that I'm very good at it - I don't run fast and I don't run for long distances, but I do run. And I enjoy it a great deal. Last year, I was running about 5k 4-5 times a week, it was the highlight of my day and I felt really competitive with myself to push myself for harder and longer. And then things fell apart.

My treadmill broke and it was too expensive to fix. When we replaced it, it was too cold and I had too many excuses not to continue running. But stuck in my head was still the memory of how great it is to be running. I'd run, listening to music on my iPod and it would be like all the noise in my head was turned off for a little while. I have a very active inner voice and sometimes its more of a bombardment of ideas and thoughts and worries. And I always found when I was running that I could focus on my breathing or my pace and not worry so much about what inner-me was saying. I hope that doesn't sound too bonkers.

And my point of this post is to say that I am running again. I'm not quite up to where I was last year in my big running phase though. I'm nearly at 5k each time I run and it's only 3 times a week so far, with lots of panting and power songs that keep me motivated. I think my favourite part of running is when I hit my stride finally, when things stop becoming a struggle and this sense of empowerment comes over me. Has anyone else felt that before? I feel a huge rush come over me and in that moment I feel like I can do anything, all the negativity just drops off me and I feel great. It's what I strive for every time I run. Because I am addicted to that positive burst of energy, even if it only happens for a minute and then I collapse in a heap on the floor.

Here are some of the power songs that I've been using lately to keep me running:

Book Eight by Hank Green. I love this song, it just makes me incredibly happy. It's a song that I'd love to wake up to in the morning because it seriously makes me smile and I've danced to it in the kitchen while I'm cooking more times that I can count. I seriously adore Hank's nerdy songs.

Sugar High on the Empire Records soundtrack. My version doesn't have Renee Zellwegger's solo and I really think the song needs her feminine voice. I had no idea until I watched the clip again that they drastically changed one of the lyrics, HA. Anyway, it reminds me of this part of the movie. Man, I loved that so much as a teenager.

And finally, the last song I've been using to keep me running long after I'm ready to give up is Katy Perry's Hot 'N Cold. I never really liked her music before and then I saw this absolutely ADORABLE video with Elmo from Sesame Street and it completely changed the way I think of her.

And that's it. I hope to bring you more When I'm not reading or blogging... posts very soon. Do you have song suggestions for me to add to my running playlist?

11 comments:

My blog definitely has a mixture. I don't like to read just about books and have always thought that neither do my readers. I try to break my week up into half and half, though I do worry then about whether I am revealing too much of myself on a very public place. I keep wondering about whether I should change my name on it, or take off pictures of my girls, who I don't name. It is hard, so I can see why some people stick to just books.

YAY you did a music post - Well Done :DCongrats on the running shame about the treadmill are you getting another one. I understand the feeling of emptying your head when you run. I used to run all the time before having the girls - I dont have time for the Wii at the mo :(I love personal posts :D

Sometimes I feel like I'm sharing TOO much of myself and need to remember that my blog is "all about books!" But at the same time, I find it too much fun to branch out, so hopefully, like you suggest, people like it for the most part!

Thanks for sharing about you! I can't run, I wish I could. So I just walk. But I do love Hank. And John! :)

I'm so glad to read this post! I was blogging just generally until last summer when I made the decision to get back into book blogging after a few years absence. I've agonised over the fact that my blog is not solely about books, but I don't want to have to maintain two blogs and I feel that whilst books are a hugely important part of my life they're not the only thing. I'm trying to keep the balance but have been worrying that people won't read if I do, you've reassured me a lot!

Vivienne - I think you do a good job of balancing the personal with the books. I can understand being protective of your children though, that's always a worry.

Emma - HA. I sent you an email, I do write about music often, really! We actually replaced our broken treadmill and now have one that works and is better than the previous one! I don't make the time for my Wii either!

Suey - I love your blog! I think you handlethe balance really well. And I always forget that you're a Hank and John fan as well! Nerdfighters FTW!

Jenni - I don't quite get how people can maintain more than one blog. It seems overly stressful to do that. I will be more likely to continue reading a blog that has elements of a personal nature and books rather than just a robot who reviews books. There needs to be that personal connection for me! So good lucl :)

Sasa - Oh, I do forget that non-book bloggers read my posts! I think that's for the best, just write whatever and not stressing too much about audience.

I'm so glad that you've written this post. I've got 3 blogs running and find it very tiring to maintain. For the last few months, I've been neglecting my personal blogs, but think that I really would like to incorporate some of my personal writings into my book blog. At the end of the day, I don't want to become burnt out on book blogging, so thanks for doing this fabulous post and yay for you running again. I personally suck at it, so also take my hat off to anyone who can.